Chemical Romance
by trappedinthetardis
Summary: Loki has hated Tony since freshman year, but when they are assigned to be lab partners, everything changes. Frostiron (High school AU)
1. An Unlikely Pair

1

An Unlikely Pair

Sometimes it seemed as though every female in the entirety of Jefferson High School was infatuated with Tony Stark. And why wouldn't they be? He was rich, popular, and extremely handsome, and all of the other things that Loki wasn't. Which is exactly why Loki hated him.

On the subject of things Loki hated, Jefferson High School was high on the list. It was filled with ignorant, idiotic fools who would end up working dead-end jobs at gas stations for the rest of their pathetic lives. The teachers were boring, the lunches abysmal, and the students tormenting. It seemed to Loki that Jefferson High rejected him as much as he despised it.

He began his junior year the way he'd spent the last two: friendless and counting the days till it was all over. He read through his list of courses (all AP level) and headed off to English first block. The day passed monotonously from there. He listened to students with devastatingly low IQ's ask idiotic questions of tired teachers and tried to avoid ridicule, something he was quite bad at.

After Pre-Calculus he had lunch, to his chagrin. He loathed lunch at school. The food tasted like disease and it was the perfect opportunity for some thick-headed Neanderthal to push him around. He just had to make it through forty-five minutes of this torture before AP chemistry. Of what little Jefferson High had to offer, science was definitely his favorite class. However, lunch still stood in his way of that tiny light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel of high school.

He ate lunch alone, as always, and contemplated all the ways to kill Tony Stark. He was caught between tying him to a table and watching as vultures slowly picked apart his body and slowly skinning him. He didn't know why of all the people at Jefferson High, Tony was the one he hated the most. Maybe it was that everyone liked him (and he meant everyone. Boys, girls, teachers, janitors, lunch ladies...). Or maybe it was that he made it all look so effortless. Loki had tried to fit in, he really had, but it had done him no good. Whatever it was, Loki had made his mind up long ago that he would never like Tony Stark, and so far he'd kept that promise.

"Tony," Clint Barton, one of Tony's friends, said, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Mmm?" Tony replied, mouth full of sandwich.

"Freak's staring at you," he said, jerking his thumb towards Loki. Swallowing, Tony turned his gaze to the dark haired boy sitting alone at a table. Smirking, he put down his sandwich and waved at him, watching him turn bright red and tuck his head down. Feeling the slightest twinge of guilt, Tony shrugged.

"You can't blame him," he said, "I'd stare at me too if I could."

Pepper, Tony's ex-girlfriend and currently one of his best friends, rolled her eyes. "Your arrogance still manages to surprise me."

"Aww thanks Pep. I try." Tony winked and turned back to his lunch.

Soon afterwards, the first bell rung and they were headed to next class. Tony and his friends all spread outin different directions as he made his way towards the science wing for his AP chemistry.

The chemistry classroom was small and swelteringly hot, with glaring fluorescent lights and grimy white walls. The tables were covered in graffiti from generations of bored students. The chemistry teacher, Mr. Wicks, was an old man with a shock of wild white hair and big round glasses that magnified his eyes. The students shuffled in, their expressions ranging from scared to excited to bored.

Tony slid into a seat in the back of the room and absentmindedly began doodling on the desk. He watched people trickle in and saw the distinct black hair and pale skin of Loki. He kept his head down and chose a seat as far away from Tony as possible and made himself look busy. A slight frown twisted Tony's face. He wondered what it would be like to have nobody. Loki had no friends, and from what he had heard his family life wasn't great either. His musings were disrupted by the appearance of Bruce Banner, one of Tony's friends, who took the seat next to him. Bruce nodded in greeting and sat up straight, looking to Mr. Wicks expectantly. "Settle down, everyone!" Mr. Wicks called, his voice shaky but assertive. "Okay. You all are going to have lab partners that will remain the same throughout the whole year. You're gonna be spending every class with them and time outside school as well so if you don't like them, learn to, 'cause there's no switching." Tony glanced around at his classmates. He would gladly take Bruce as a partner, and out of the six girls in the room, he'd be happy to have two of them as lab partners. The other four, not so much. Wicks cleared his throat, his shaking hands clutching a piece of paper. "Catherine Reed and Derek Hunt, Natalie Bloom and Erica Woods, Tony Stark and Loki Laufeyson-"

"_What?_" The whole class turned to see Loki, looking indignant. "Mr. Wicks, I cannot work with-"

"No switching. You two can deal. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, Shannon Locke and Bruce Banner..."

While Wicks continued down his list, everyone moved to be next to their partner. As it was clear to Tony that Loki wasn't moving, he strode over and plopped down on the chair next to Loki.

"Guess you're stuck with me, pal," he said, nudging him. Loki recoiled from his touch.

"Do not talk to me unless it pertains to the experiment that we are doing," he hissed. "We are not friends, we are lab partners."

"Touchy," smirked Tony. "I wasn't the one staring at you at lunch today."

"I was _not_ staring, Stark," Loki snarled.

"Sure looked like it to me," said Tony, grinning. Fury rose inside Loki. He wanted more than anything to wipe that smirk right off his face.

"So," Mr. Wicks said loudly, "We're starting a new project right now. And I warn you, you're going to have to meet with your partner outside school to complete it because we'll be working on other material in class." He passed around thick packets detailing the assignment and dismissed the class. Loki pushed passed Tony and hurried out before Tony could get one last remark in.

Tony leaned against his locker after classes ended with Steve, Bruce, and Clint. "Guess who my lab partner is," he said, cleaning his fingernails.

"Shannon Locke?" asked Clint excitedly. "I saw you walking out of science with her. She is _hot_."

"Nope," he said, laughing. "Bruce got that one."—Clint high-fived Bruce, who smiled sheepishly—"I got Loki."

"_Loki?_" Clint asked incredulously. "That sucks ass."

Tony shrugged. "It's okay. He's fun to mess with." Steve pursed his lips, turning to his locker. Tony rolled his eyes. "What's the matter with you, Steve?"

"Nothing," he said stiffly. "I just think that you shouldn't piss off Loki. There's something…I don't know… off about that guy." Tony worked hard to suppress an eye-roll.

"I think I can handle a skinny nerd with no friends to back him up," Tony said.

"He has Thor," Bruce pointed out. Tony shrugged again, closing his locker.

"Whatever. Listen, my dad's going out of town this weekend and I'm throwing a party. Clint, can I count on you for booze?"

"On it. And I'll make sure everyone's coming," he said. Tony nodded and hoisted his backpack onto one shoulder and turned away.

"Seeya guys," he said, walking away.

On his way out the door he nearly bumped into someone rushing outside. "Excuse you," he called, identifying the long black hair as Loki's. He smirked as Loki shot him a glare. This was definitely going to be an interesting year.


	2. Never Ever

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter 1! Some of you even followed and favorited and reviewed it, which means a lot to me:). I have to thank my lovely editor (her tumblr is the-doctor-to-my-tardis), without whom this story would be a horrible mess. Anyway, read and enjoy!**

After school that day, Tony sat at home alone, as usual, and played Xbox. In the middle of an intense game of _Modern Warfare 3_, Tony's phone buzzed. He dug it out of his pocket,wondering what mess Clint had got himself into this time. Instead, to his surprise, he saw he had a text from Thor Odinson. He liked Thor, and they were reasonable acquaintances, but they didn't ever have the need to text each other. Curious, he opened the message.

_Hello Tony. My brother would like to ask you when you would like to work on your project together, but he lacks both your number and the courage to contact you, so I am asking in his stead._

Tony laughed, replying quickly:

_Give him my number and tell him to call._

A few minutes later, Tony received a text that read:

_Hello Stark. It's Loki_

Smirking, he added the number to his contacts and pressed the call button. After a few rings, Loki picked up.

"Stark?" he asked, his voice stiff.

"Hey Loki," Tony said, grinning.

"When would you like to work on the project?" asked Loki, clearly annoyed.

"Not so fast, Loki. You're making me think you're only talking to me because of our project," he said, trying not to laugh. It was so easy to mess with Loki.

"Do not flatter yourself, Stark. Not everyone worships you," Loki snarled. Tony chuckled.

"You can come over now, if you'd like," Tony said, ignoring Loki's comment.

"Now?" Loki asked, sounding flustered.

"Does that not work for you?" Tony asked, turning off the TV with his free hand.

"It is fine. I will be there soon," Loki said, and abruptly hung up the phone. Tony chuckled, briefly wondering how he'd find the place before remembering that Thor had probably come to a party here at some point and would know where it was.

Tony looked down at the old, ratty t-shirt he was wearing and pulled it off. He made his way to his room, tossing the old one in a hamper and grabbing a new one. He paused midway through putting on the new shirt and wondered why he was changing for Loki. It's not like he cared about what Loki thought of him. He bit his lip, then shrugged and finished pulling it on. He convinced himself it was nothing by keeping his worn grey sweatpants on. He pulled out his Chemistry notebook and set it on his bed before making his way downstairs to wait for Loki to arrive.

About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang, echoing throughout the empty house. Tony bounced up from the couch and pulled open the door, revealing Loki standing awkwardly behind it, clutching tight to a black binder.

Tony bowed dramatically, sweeping one hand in a grand gesture inviting him in. "Welcome, sir," he said, pulling the door open wider. Loki pursed his lips and strode into the foyer. He paused, staring around at the extravagant house with its lush, velvety furnishings and high, arching ceilings. Slightly in awe, Loki felt a push on his back. He whipped around to see Tony, pushing him along. "I know, I know, it's impressive. But we've got work to do, come on." Jerking away from his touch, Loki followed Tony upstairs to his room.

Tony flopped down on the bed, opened his notebook to the first page, and looked expectantly at Loki, who was hovering in the doorway. He patted the space next to him, "You gonna sit down or what?" he asked. Loki stepped carefully over to the bed and sat gingerly next to him, his back ramrod straight. Tony turned away from him to hide his smile and pulled out the packet that Mr. Wicks had given them. Loki copied him, flipping through the pages.

"Okay," he began, "I think we should start with—"

"How'd you get the name Loki?" Tony interrupted.

"What?" he asked, startled.

"I mean… It's not a very common name. Why'd your parents call you that?" Tony asked.

"Funny, I don't think that is any of your business, Stark," he said coldly.

"I tend to get involved in other people's business quite often, actually," said Tony, grinning. Loki rolled his eyes.

"My parents are really interested in Norse mythology. They gave me and my brother names of gods from Norse myths," he said.

"And what's Loki the god of?" Tony asked, intrigued. Loki's brow furrowed, wondering why Tony was acting like he cared.

"Mischief," he said, smirking as he turned back to the handout. Seemingly engrossed in his paper, he missed the spark dance in Tony's eyes.

"Mischief, huh?" Tony asked.

"Shut up, Stark," Loki said, reading through the instructions on the packet.

"But I'm curious!" Tony said, pouting. Loki laughed cruelly.

"You really think sulking will do you any good?" he asked. "Not everyone is madly in love with you, Stark. Contrary to your belief, many people do not like you at all. So stop being such an infuriating nuisance and _shut up_."

For once in his life, Tony did what he was told.

For the rest of the night they spoke only when absolutely necessary. They worked on their project until 8:30, when Tony announced thathis brain had had enough. He walked Loki downstairs.

"Well," Loki said as he reached the door, "I will see you tomorrow, Stark."

"Mm hmm," Tony agreed. Loki was turning the doorknob when Tony blurted, "What is it I did to you?" Loki turned back to him.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"Why do you hate me so much?" asked Tony. "I mean, you don't even know me. What did I do?" Loki's eyes narrowed.

"You did not_ do _anything to me. I do not like you because you are an arrogant, self-centered, spoiled rich boy who thinks everyone loves him and who acts like he's king of the world," he said, pulling open the door. "Goodbye, Stark." Tony watched as the door slammed shut behind Loki and swallowed hard.

Tony leaned against the doorframe and took a deep breath. What was the matter with him? He usually kept his cool through any situation, but a little study session with Loki had jumbled his entire brain. Shaking his head, he hurried back up to his bedroom. He watched TV for the rest of the night, but his eyes were constantly drawn involuntarily to the shallow impression where Loki had sat mere hours earlier.

When Loki climbed out of his car and into his house, he was immediately bombarded with questions from Thor. "Did you have fun? Do you like Tony? He is nice, is he not? Are you two friends now?"

"Thor. _Thor. _Calm down," Loki said, hanging his black coat on one of the hooks along the wall. "Stark and I are not _friends_, we are simply working together on a project. Now if you will excuse me, I have other homework to do." Relentless, Thor followed Loki into his bedroom.

"Why do you not like Tony?" he asked. Loki sighed.

"Go away, Thor," he said, sitting down at his desk.

"What did he ever do to you?" Thor asked.

"Nothing," Loki sighed, exasperated. "I just do not like him, okay?" Thor crossed his arms.

"You are being stubborn. If you _tried_, I am sure you and Tony would be great friends." With that, he stormed out of the room.

_Don't be stupid, _he thought. _Tony Stark will never be friends with _you. _Why would he be? Why would anyone be?_

Angry, Loki blocked all thoughts of Tony Stark from his mind. He pulled out his Pre-calculus homework and began working. It did no good to dwell on Stark. They were lab partners, nothing else. They would never be friends. Never.


	3. Red Plaid

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry that the chapters are so short but I'll try to make up for it by updating often :) Anyway, hope you enjoy. **

In Chemistry class Tuesday, Tony sat next to Bruce again. "So," he asked, leaning back in his chair, "How's it going with Shannon?" he wiggled his eyebrows and Bruce's cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Fine," he mumbled. "She's coming over tomorrow."

"Ooh, I'm sensing a romance," said Tony, winking. Bruce grew even redder.

"How's working with Loki?" asked Bruce, clearly trying to divert attention away from himself. Tony shrugged.

"Pretty much what you'd expect," he said. Unwilling to elaborate, Tony said, "So, can I count you in for the party on Saturday?" Bruce nodded.

"Definitely," he said. Mr. Wicks called the class to attention, but Tony was only half-listening. He texted Clint under the table, confirming all the preparations.

It looked as if every single person in Jefferson High would be attending his party, and Tony was confident thatit was going to be spectacular. As the days inched closer he could barely wait for Saturday to arrive.

After school on Friday, Tony was walking to his car, staring down at his phone, when suddenly someone blocked his path. Looking up, he saw Loki, standing in front of him with a familiar haughty expression. Tony hadn't talked to him since their little study session on Monday. Taking a step back, Tony grinned.

"What's up, Loki?" he said.

"The project," Loki replied shortly. "It's due in a couple weeks and we barely got anything done on Monday."

"Well," said Tony slowly, "as I'm sure you know I'm having a party tomorrow, so you can't come over in the afternoon, but you could stop by tomorrow morning and we'll see what we can do." An unidentifiable expression crossed Loki's face.

"Fine," he said, his voice hard. "I will see you then." Without another word, he twisted around and marched away toward his car.

Tony shook his head, climbing into the driver's seat of his cherry red convertible. He didn't have time to worry about Loki's confusing behavior; he had a party to plan.

Loki woke up on Saturday at about eight. He stood up, stretching, and leisurely made his way through the house getting ready. The last person he wanted to deal with right now was Tony Stark, and he was due at his house soon. He found excuses to slow down the process everywhere he turned. He did his laundry, cleaned his room, made breakfast for Thor (which he threw away on second thought) and read a book. It was nearly ten o' clock when he set off towards Tony's house. He slowly made his way up the steps to the mahogany double doors and jabbed the doorbell. He waited about forty seconds, and when he received no answer, rang again. After a third ring, he heard footsteps approaching from inside the house.

The door was thrown open to reveal a very sleepy looking Tony Stark. His hair was wild and curly, sticking up in all sorts of places and his eyes were half-lidded with sleep. The most shocking aspect of his appearance, however, was what he was wearing. He had answered the door wearing nothing but red plaid boxers.

"Oh, hey Loki," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I was wondering who was here so early."

"It's ten in the morning," Loki said, incredulous. Tony shrugged.

"Early for me," he said, yawning. "You coming in?" Loki nodded, holding his head high, and followed Tony inside. They reached Tony's room and Tony sat on the edge of the bed, slumped over in tiredness.

"Are you going to put some clothes on?" Loki asked, condescending.

"Why?" Tony asked, smirking. "Am I distracting you?" Loki rolled his eyes, sitting down carefully in an armchair. Tony laughed and stood up, making his way to the closet. He picked out a t-shirt and slowly pulled it over his head.

"So," Loki asked, sounding completely uninterested. "Do you always answer the door practically naked?" Tony grinned at him over his shoulder.

"That's what I sleep in," he said, digging through his closet for a pair of jeans. "Makes it easier for the booty calls. I tend to get a lot of those." Tony shot him a wink as he slid into a pair of jeans. Loki rolled his eyes again.

"You are incredibly arrogant," Loki said.

"So I've been told," said Tony, smirking. He sat back down on the bed and pulled out his notebook. "Ready?"

Loki nodded. He moved over to sit cautiously on the bed with Tony, pulling out his own notebook and a thick chemistry textbook. Loki was flipping through the pages, apparently attempting to find something, when Tony spoke.

"I googled Loki the other day," he said.

"Yeah?" asked Loki, not looking up from the textbook. "Was it fun using the Internet for something other than porn?" Tony stared at Loki for a few seconds in disbelief before bursting out laughing.

"Wow," he said, sounding shocked. "Well okay then." A hint of a smirk twisted Loki's lips.

"You were saying something, Stark," he said, flipping the page in the book.

"Oh yeah. Well it said Loki had sex with a horse," said Tony, smirking. "And that he was the mother to its children. Interesting person to be named after."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Your immaturity is astounding."

"And Thor is the god of thunder, which is completely awesome and is obviously more powerful than the god of mischief," he said jokingly. Loki's eyes darkened. "I can see why he's the favorite child." Before he knew what was happening, Tony was pinned to the bed, Loki's forearm pressing just underneath his neck and Loki's nose centimeters from his own.

"Do not talk about me or my family like you have any idea what you're talking about," Loki growled. "Just keep your mouth shut and stay out of it because you don't understand _anything_."

"Okay, okay," Tony choked. "I'm sorry!" Loki released him and shrunk back into the armchair. Tony stared at him for a few moments before speaking. "I uh... I know how it feels to be...ignored. I know what it's like to feel like you're just another one of your father's abandoned projects, to feel rejected." Tony changed a glance at Loki. He was sitting perfectly still in his chair and he wasn't looking at Tony, but he was obviously listening. "My father cares more about his job and his money and his reputation than he does about me. I learned a long time ago that that's never going to change, so I stopped being bitter about it." He paused. "Your parents aren't the only important people in your life and there are other people who are going to care about you. Just look at Thor. And if you stopped lashing out at people and stopped hiding behind all the hostility, I'm sure plenty of people would want to be your friend. I would." A long, awkward silence stretched between them. Tony wasn't quite sure what made him say it or if it was the right thing to say at all, but after a few long minutes, Loki cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It's fine," Tony replied, fiddling with his pencil.

"Well," he said, not meeting Tony's eye, "we should probably get started on chemistry, shouldn't we, Stark?" He glanced up at Tony, his eyes somehow a little softer than before. Tony smiled at him.

"Call me Tony."


	4. I've Never

**Author's Note: Sorry the update took so long. There was a lot wrong with it at first and my lovely editor had a hell of a lot to fix. Anyway, i hope you enjoy! I love all your reviews! Tony and Loki are starting to get a little closer now...:)**

A few hours later they were done with their Chemistry work for the day. Tony was rubbing his temples. "That was way too much to wake up to," he complained. Loki smirked.

"Maybe if you woke up earlier, it wouldn't have been so bad," Loki retorted, closing his notebook.

"Yeah, but then I'd have to, you know, wake up early," Tony said, standing up. "Okay, I have a party to set up for so you've got to get out of here." Loki's smirk disappeared.

"Fine," he said, standing as well. He gathered up his things and turned to leave. Tony bit his lip. He and Loki seemed to have reached some sort of understanding of each other, and he felt bad seeing him left out.

"You want to come?" he asked quickly, just as Loki had reached the door. Loki looked back, surprised.

"To your party?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. You could bring Thor if you wanted, that's alright too or—"

"Okay," Loki interrupted. Tony stopped.

"Okay?"

"Thor will come too. When does it start?" Loki asked, twisting the doorknob and pulling open the door.

"Nine," Tony said. Loki nodded, and without another word he was gone.

_Oh god,_ he thought to himself, _what have I done?_

Tony grabbed a beer and turned, trying to navigate through the sea of people crowding his house. The entire student body of Jefferson High had shown up, along with a fair amount of random high school aged students who had heard about the party through their friends. Music was blasting so loudly the floor was vibrating with the bass. A hand clasped Tony's shoulder and he turned around to see Clint grinning at him.

"Great party!" he shouted over the music, spilling his drink as he stumbled forward.

"Maybe you wanna take it easy on the alcohol?" Tony suggested, laughing.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, _mom_," he said, grabbing Tony by the wrist and dragging him towards the couch, where a large group of people was sitting.

They all shouted excited greetings as Tony sat amongst them. As he leaned back a girl snuggled up next to him, her hand slowly running up and down his leg. "Well hello there," Tony said, flashing the girl a charming smile, "And who are you?"

The girl giggled. "I'm Rebecca," she said.

"Rebecca," Tony said slowly, as if savoring the name. Poor girl was falling for it. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." She blushed and let out another giggle, her fingers sliding from his legs up under his shirt. Tony smiled and Rebecca pulled his face into hers, their lips crashing together messily.

Suddenly there was a huge banging noise and Tony and Rebecca sprung apart. He looked up to see that some blonde kid knocked a lamp to the floor. "It's fine," Tony shouted. The blonde kid turned around, and Tony realized it was Thor. Tony ignored his shouted apologies and scanned the room. If Thor was there, so was Loki. He spotted him in the corner of the room, arms crossed and rolling his eyes at his brother. Grinning, Tony stood. "Be right back, Veronica," he promised.

"It's Rebecca," she whined, sounding hurt.

"Yeah, sorry," he said distractedly. He made his way to the keg, filling a cup, and pushed through the crowd to get to Loki.

"Look who showed up," he said, handing Loki the beer. Loki took it reluctantly and didn't drink. "So, how do you like the party?" Loki looked around.

"It's loud," he said. "And everyone is acting repulsively stupid." Tony laughed.

"It might be more fun if you had a couple beers," he said, taking a sip of his own.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Stark?" Loki asked, narrowing his eyes. Tony grinned.

"Maybe," he winked. "And I thought I told you to call me Tony." Loki pursed his lips and didn't answer. "Come on, let loose a little. You're in high school and you're at a party. Do what everyone else does! Drink some beer, make out with a few people, have fun!"

"That doesn't sound like fun."

"You won't know until you try," Tony said. "Though I guess if you're too scared-" Loki narrowed his eyes, downing his beer in one big gulp. He handed the cup to Tony.

"Another," he said. Tony chuckled.

"You forgot the magic word," he said in a singsong voice. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Go fuck yourself." Tony grinned and disappeared into the crowd. A couple minutes later he arrived with another filled cup of beer. He handed Loki the cup and clinked them together.

"Cheers," Tony said, taking a long drink.

"If I can't stand in three hours, you're going to be the one who's dragging me home," Loki informed him.

"Fine by me."

"See you later, then," said Loki.

"See ya later, Loki," he said, turning away. "Follow my advice!" He pushed through the crowd again until he reached a circle of people sitting on cushions and pillows with cups of beer everywhere. As he looked around he recognized Clint, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Pepper and Natasha Romanov, but the rest were strangers.

"Tony!" Clint called. "Sit down! We're about to play I Never!" Tony obeyed, taking a seat next to Clint. "Okay, I'll go first," Clint smacked his lips. "Umm…. I've never had sex with anyone in this circle." Tony grinned, winking at Pepper, and took a long swig of beer. Pepper rolled her eyes and drank. A couple of the people Tony didn't know took drinks as well. A boy with short blonde hair on the other side of Clint spoke next.

"I've never snuck out of the house." There was a round of laughing and nearly everyone took a drink (except for Steve).

A long while later, the entire room was spinning to Tony. He had taken a drink almost every single time someone had said they'd never done something. A lot of the circle had emptied out. He looked around, trying to focus on everyone. Clint, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Pepper and Natasha were still there. There was a new addition to the circle, seated next to Thor. It took a few moments for Tony to recognize Loki. _When did he get here? _Tony wondered. Everyone in the circle was incredibly drunk (except Steve, it seemed. Motherfucker and his great metabolism.), and people were running out of things that they'd never done.

"I've never had sex on the first date," said Pepper, and Tony drank. He felt lightheaded.

"I've never fucked on a kitchen counter." Tony raised his eyebrows at Bruce. It was so funny watching normally quiet people get drunk. Tony was the only person to take a drink. The room was blurring even more.

"I've never thought my friends' mom or dad was hot." Tony drank, winking at Steve.

"_Tony_," he scolded, sounding disgusted. Clint and Bruce drank too.

"Sorry, Steve. Your mom's hot," Clint grinned as Steve threw an empty cup at him.

"I've kissed a stranger," said Steve, ignoring Clint. Tony scoffed.

"I did that today," he said, drinking.

"Uh… I've never… fantasized about a guy," Clint said. Natasha and Pepper laughed and both drank. Tony's eyes met Loki's and he drained the rest of his cup. Loki's eyebrows raised a fraction and he drank too. Tony smirked, forgetting they were in a crowd of people around him. There was a tight, awkward silence until Clint snorted.

"Course you would, Tony. You'd have sex with anything that moves." Tony laughed and shrugged it off.

Before Tony knew it, people were stumbling out in masses and the party emptied. Soon there were only about twenty people left. Steve, Bruce, Clint, and Pepper were nowhere to be found. Assuming they'd gone home, he got ready to kick everyone out. Standing up, he saw Loki leaning against his kitchen counter.

"Hey, Loki," he said, grinning.

"Tonnnny!" Loki cried.

Tony laughed incredulously. "How drunk are you?"

"I dunno. I drank a lot." He grabbed onto Tony's shoulder for support as he swayed. "You know what?"

"What?"

"You're an asshole." Tony chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

"So are you, Loks." Loki ignored him.

"But you're kinda okay, you know?" Loki smiled, wiping his face. "I took your advice."

Tony furrowed his brow. "What advice?"

"You told me to drink beer and kiss girls and I did," Loki slurred.

"Wait," Tony grinned, "you _kissed_ someone? Who?"

"Uhhhhhhh," Loki looked around, searching for someone. "That chick." He pointed to a tall girl with long curly blonde hair. "I dunno who she is."

"I don't either but damn, Loki, good job!" Tony punched his arm lightly and he swayed again.

"I was gonna leave but I can't find Thor," Loki said, looking around again.

"He's probably asleep somewhere." Loki cursed. "You can just sleep here if you want," Tony offered.

"Really?"

"Really. Come on." Tony laughed and made his way upstairs, carefully watching Loki to make sure he was following. He checked all the guest bedrooms, but they all had figures draped over the bed (and one of them had loud groans coming from it). With no other choice, he brought Loki into his room (which he had locked so that no one could get in during the party). Without hesitation, Loki collapsed on Tony's bed. Immediately, he began wriggling out of his jeans.

"Uh, Loki? What are you doing?" Tony asked, closing the door behind him.

"I can't sleep in jeans," he said matter-of-factly, yanking them off his ankles. His boxers were dark green. "Do you have sweatpants I could borrow?"

Tony grinned. "Nope." He sat on the other side of the bed and slid off his jeans as well. Loki shrugged, pulling the covers around him. He mumbled something inaudible. "Huh?" Tony asked, slipping under the blankets.

"You're really short," Loki said, louder this time. Tony laughed disbelievingly.

"And you're a pissy drunk."

"You're rude," Loki turned over, facing Tony.

"But you like it," Tony smirked.

"Didn't I already say not everyone loves you?"

"But you do."

"Goodnight Tony," Loki said, rolling over. Tony smiled.

"Night, Loki."


	5. The Aftermath

**Author's Note: Hi all! You guys are all fantastic for reading my story I love you all! This chapter is kinda short but I hope you enjoy anyway! :)**

Tony woke up, predictably, late. He yawned loudly and snuggled into his pillow. The events of last night were slowly coming back to him. He kissed whatever her name was, played I Never with Clint, Steve, Bruce, Loki—_Loki._

Tony's eyes shot open. It took a couple seconds for him to process what was happening and then—_Fuck. _His arm was draped around Loki and he was curled around his body. His face was buried in Loki's neck. _What the hell happened? _Panicking, he extracted his arm as fast as he could without waking the sleeping boy next to him. He scooted away slowly. Loki yawned and shifted, turning towards Tony in his sleep. His eyes were closed and his hair bushed up all around his face. Instead of curled with their perpetual sneer, his lips were slightly parted, breathing deeply. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. He wasn't rolling his eyes or lashing out. A small tuft of hair fell into his face, and Tony felt a maddening desire to brush it away. After a few long moments, Tony realized how weird it was that he was staring at another guy while he was sleeping. In his bed. With him. Especially since the guy was Loki. Slowly, he sat up. A stinging pain shot through his head. He winced, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He stood and grabbed sweatpants, pulling them on. Slowly, he walked out of his room, each step sending sharp pains into his skull. He needed Advil.

He entered his kitchen and came to an abrupt halt. "Fuck," he breathed. _I am not ready to deal with this shit yet_, he thought as he looked around his kitchen. Clint, Bruce, Pepper and (strangely) Natasha Romanov were all sitting around the kitchen table, staring at him. Steve was bustling around making coffee for everyone.

"Morning," they chorused. With the exception of Steve—who seemed chipper as ever—they all sounded tired and hung-over, much like Tony.

"Hi," Tony said tentatively, sitting down. "What're you all doing here?"

"Too drunk to drive and didn't feel like calling a cab," Clint said shortly as Steve handed him coffee. He thanked him quietly and drank it. Steve passed around steaming mugs to everyone and opened the fridge, pulling out eggs and bacon.

"Can you get me some Advil with those eggs, Steve?" Tony asked, his hand clutching his forehead. "It's in the bathroom." Everyone else murmured "me too"s. Steve nodded, disappearing around the corner, and reappeared a few seconds later with a small white bottle. He distributed two pills to everyone and filled five glasses of water. "Thanks, Steve," everyone muttered.

Steve then began frying the eggs and bacon and the delicious smells wafted all throughout the house. Within a few moments, Tony heard footsteps and dread filled his stomach. But the footsteps grew loud, much louder than Loki's had ever been, and through the kitchen door came a tall, broad shouldered, blonde figure that was most definitely _not_ Loki. No. It was his brother, Thor. _Dammit_, Tony thought, _I forgot Thor was here too._

"I smell breakfast!" Thor strode over and sniffed the bacon and eggs. "Mmm, delicious."

"Thor!" Clint exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find my brother last night, and I wasn't going to leave without him so I stayed." Thor pulled up a chair. "Do any of you know where he is?"

Clint furrowed his brow. "You don't mean Loki, do you?"

"He's sleeping," Tony said quietly, ignoring Clint.

"Oh good, I was worried he'd gone—"

"Loki was here?" Clint exclaimed incredulously. "_Loki_ was _here_?"

"You don't remember?" Tony asked, massaging his throbbing temples. Clint paused, his brow furrowed, until suddenly realization dawned.

"Oh yeah. But…_why_?" Clint was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Cause I invited him." Tony reached for his coffee and took a sip.

"Why on earth would you invite him?" Clint looked completely scandalized, as if their friendship had been defiled by Tony's unprecedented invitation.

"Because I felt like it," Tony said.

"Wait," Bruce interrupted. "Where did he sleep?"

"One of the guest bedrooms," Tony lied.

"Not possible," Bruce said, taking a big gulp of coffee. "There are only five guest bedrooms on the second floor, and you always lock the third floor for parties."

"Chill out, detective Bruce," Tony gritted his teeth. All this noise was making his head ring more. "He slept in my room."

"Well where did you sleep?" Clint interjected.

Tony was saved from answering as footsteps approached. As they got closer, Tony heard a distinct voice say, "Ow, Stark, my head feels like it's going to expl—" Loki stopped mid-sentence as he saw the room full of people, all of whom as staring at him. And, god dammit, he was still wearing his dark green boxers. Tony smiled meekly.

"Morning, Loki." Loki stared at Tony, his eyes narrowing as if blaming him.

"Good morning, brother!" Thor boomed. "Sit down! Steve was just making us some breakfast!" Steve, regaining composure, smiled at Loki as he began piling eggs and bacon onto a large plate. Loki slowly took a seat (luckily there was a seat directly between Tony and Thor) and Steve placed the food in the middle of the table, giving everyone a plate and utensils before joining them to eat.

They ate in a tense, palpable silence. Tony occasionally caught Loki glancing at him, but mostly he just stared down at his plate and tried to ignore the situation. His head was still pounding and it was still early (by his standards) and he was still not ready to deal with this.

"So," Pepper said, a brave attempt to break the awkward silence, "you and Tony are lab partners, right? Is that how you know each other?"

"Yes," Loki said shortly. Pepper waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn't, she tried again.

"You and Thor look nothing alike, it's almost hard to believe you guys are brothers." Pepper smiled at Loki. _Oh Pep_, Tony thought, _oh poor, innocent Pep_.

"I'm adopted," Loki said tightly. They lapsed back into silence and Tony snorted into his coffee at the sheer awkwardness of it all. Everyone turned to stare at him and he tried to pass it off as a cough.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

"Well," Bruce said, standing. He looked like he just couldn't take anymore. "My parents are expecting me so I'm gonna get going."

"Same." Steve stood quickly, following Bruce out the door. Clint, and Natasha stood up together (Tony raised his eyebrows. Clint had been trying to get with Natasha for ages, and it seemed like it finally happened), followed by Pepper, Thor and, finally, Loki and they all made their way out the door.

"See you all later!" Tony called as the door slammed behind Loki. When they were all gone, Tony burst out laughing, doubled over against the table. That was one of the most awkward situations he had ever been in. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and texted Loki.

_That was hilarious_

A few moments and...

_You have a terrible sense of humor_

_I've been told. You're welcome, btw._

_And why am I thanking you?_

_Cause I let you sleep in my bed and made sure you didn't do anything stupid_.

_I'm not going to thank you._

_Why not?_

_You got me drunk in the first place._

_What can I say, the drunk ones are the easiest ones._

_Shut up, Stark._

_You were calling me Tony last night you know._

_I repeat, I was drunk._

_Obviously. You were drunk enough to sleep with me._

_I didn't sleep with you. I just slept in the same bed as you._

_For now._

_Goodbye, Stark._

_See you later, Loks._

_Don't ever call me that again._

_You were fine with it last night ;)_

Loki never replied to the last text. Tony slept off his hangover all day. When he woke up, he glanced over at where Loki had slept last night. He grinned. He was enjoying this way too much.


End file.
